IKEA In Beijing Is More Like A Giant Public Living Room

By cwaltersAugust 27, 2009

On our last visit to IKEA earlier this summer, we noted with sadness how there was a certain GAP-like feeling about a lot of the merchandise, by which we mean it seemed dull and forgettable. But maybe we’ve been approaching shopping at IKEA the wrong way.

Riding an escalator past a man lying on a display bed with a book opened on his belly, [Zhang Xin’s] clan sauntered into the crush of visitors squeezing onto the showroom path, bumping elbows and nicking ankles with their yellow shopping trolleys.

Zhang said the family needed a respite from the smog and a reliable lunch.

“We just came here for fun,” said the 34-year-old office manager. “I suppose we could have gone somewhere else, but it wouldn’t have been a complete experience.”

The article says Walmart and French supermarket Carrefour faced similar looky-loos when they entered China in the 90s, but have since become success stories. IKEA, however, seems to still be having trouble:

“The brand awareness is great, but the question is, how do we get people to open up their wallets and spend money?” said Linda Xu, a company spokeswoman who rolled her eyes when she came upon a trio of slumbering customers.